What to do if someone discloses abuse or you suspect it

If someone tells you about abuse or you have a concern, act promptly. Do not assume someone else will deal with it. You are not expected to investigate, but you must help keep the person safe, respond calmly, record what happened and pass the concern to the correct safeguarding and emergency routes without delay.

Immediate response

• Check immediate safety: if anyone is in immediate danger, call 999 and stay with the adult until help arrives.
• Listen and stay calm: thank the person for telling you, take them seriously and avoid judgemental reactions.
• Do not promise secrecy: explain that you may need to share the information to protect them.
• Do not ask leading or repeated questions: ask only enough to understand the concern and any immediate risk.
• Arrange urgent medical help if needed: injuries, possible sexual assault, severe distress or medicine-related risk may need prompt clinical assessment.
• Think about contact safety: avoid leaving messages, leaflets, texts or voicemails that could be seen by the alleged abuser unless you have a planned safe approach.
• Follow local procedures immediately: inform your manager or safeguarding lead and use emergency or out-of-hours routes if necessary.

What not to do

Do not minimise what you have heard, tell the person to sort it out privately, or confront the alleged abuser in front of them. Do not attempt to mediate family conflict yourself. Avoid a detective-style interview that could distress the person further or complicate later safeguarding or police action.

If you suspect abuse or someone discloses it, act. Calm listening, immediate safety checks, clear explanation and prompt escalation protect people more effectively than secrecy, delay or informal family mediation.